House eats the dog food

The House has passed the Biden-McConnell fiscal cliff compromise bill by a vote of 257-167. Only 16 Democrats voted no. On the Republican side, it was 85 for and 151 against.

We’ve said all we have to say, I think, about the issues and the politics presented by this particular vote. The focus now turns to the sequester, the debt-ceiling, and the continuing resolution.

Will the Republicans be able to obtain meaningful spending cuts, without more tax increases, out of these showdowns? You wouldn’t bet it, would you?

More immediately, the new House will need to decide whether John Boehner remains Speaker. My guess is that he will keep the job. If we were about to see a large influx of new Republican members, Boehner might be toppled. But I suspect the current members will sympathize with the Speaker and, more importantly, want to close ranks and put this debacle behind them.